Guest Post: Don't Call DeShawn Stevenson "Soulja Boy"

When Heckling Opponents Goes Wrong

by Mario Latilleon

I am a Memphis Grizzlies fan. I grew up a Memphis Tigers fan, and I take pride in the fact Bob Huggins once called us the most obnoxious fans in America. Last night at the game against the Wizards, I guess my rambunctious antics went too far. I got under DeShawn Stevenson's skin. When I got under DeShawn Stevenson's skin, I got on the wrong side of the law as far as Washington Wizards security saw me. I did not plan to heckle DeShawn Stevenson, it just happened. As I pondered the things I would yell at the opposing team for fun, right before the game, I remembered Lebron James' slam of the decade on a loquacious DeShawn Stevenson like Dave Chappelle recalling Negrodomus during his ride with Wayne Brady:

"That would be like Jay Z saying something back to Soulja Boy...there's no point."

So along with my warnings to Etan Thomas of calling Brendan Haywood after fouling Grizzlies players, tons of fun with Darius Songalia of the Reggie Cleveland All-Stars, and one comment to Antawn Jamison about looking like Midget from "New Jersey Drive"; I spent most of the first quarter calling DeShawn Stevenson "Soulja Boy" everytime he was within earshot. When Stevenson got a rebound or played defense, I kept at it with the Soulja Boy chants. When the Grizzlies shot free throws, I really got at it: not only would I scream Soulja Boy, I would stand and hop back doing the superman move from the song/dance. With three or four minutes left in the 1st quarter, it finally seemed like I got DeShawn Stevenson's attention. On the bench, Deshawn Stevenson started yelling something at me; unfortunately I could not hear what he was saying. Etan Thomas, sitting next to Stevenson was yelling at me too, but I really could not make out what they were saying. Within a minute of them yelling at me, a Damon Stoudamire look-a-like doing security for the Wizards came over with an police officer and asked me to stop heckling Stevenson. Since I was wearing a Damon Stoudamire jersey at the time, I thought he would give me a little more love. When I asked the security guy what I said that was wrong, he told me that he didn't want a back and forth between Stevenson and me to escalate into anything. My response was I didn't say anything vulgar or offensive so I was within the NBA fan code of conduct, but he told me I was ruining the experience of everyone around me by yelling the whole game and he would stitch to NBA security and have me removed. I asked him to provide the NBA Code of Conduct and the rule I was breaking, he promised he would bring it to me. I got adamant that I was not saying anything offensive; the guy got more threatening and said, "Okay... You keep it up... you'll be outta here." One couple next to me cheered the security guy because I guess I was ruining their peaceful, reflective experience at a sporting event, but the people behind me, whose view I would have actually obstructed doing the superman part of the Soulja Boy told me I was okay when I apologized if I was ruining their experience.

Now the security and FedExForum staff I spoke to about everything told me they didn't see anything wrong with what I did as long as I wasn't cursing or threatening the players. A little later in the game, a Wizards player heckled me when the Wizards were shooting a free throw and I was still silently soothing from my encounter. I had one final discussion with the Wizards security guy during halftime when he saw me asking the original escorting officer for clarification of how my behavior was excessive enough to be removed from the game. As far as I was concerned, this security guy was so agitated with me that anything I yelled could have been crossing the line. The security came over and argued with me like he was a Damon Stoudamire looking Mike Fratello. Since I didn't appreciate the threats, I calmly told him that I was going to be a fan whether he liked it or not. I wasn't going after Stevenson or any other Wizards player for that matter. I stopped the heckling, but became sarcastically supportive of the Wizards for much of the 3rd quarter. Oddly, I think yelling "Go Wiz" is more offensive than "Soulja boy Tell'em!"

I spent the 4th quarter doing more yelling at the Grizz than the Wizards. When the game was over, the Wizards left the bench and were walking across the court fifteen feet away from me. While I was looking at my cell phone responding to a text, I saw a hand towel flying towards me out of the side of eye. The towel was soaked in ice cold water. I did not see which Wizard was the thrower, but I originally thought it was Caron Butler because I noticed he was grinning at me. There he was, sneaking around Butler with Roger McDowell like stealth was Soulja Boy himself, Deshawn Stevenson. The most telling fact of the wet towel was the hit was below my calf on my leg. With a shot like that, Stevenson had to be the thrower. Soulja Boy is not only no Lebron James, he's no Big Shot Bob either.

I don't think I crossed the line calling him Soulja Boy. Though I know NBA team personnel is sensitive after the Detroit event, maybe instead of going after me, the team needs to teach these players to grow up and overlook it. I wasn't calling Stevenson anything dirty or personal. I referred to him as something from a well publicized feud.

I will continue doing what I do, which is heckling opposing players. I try to be sensitive to other fans, but I yell most of the game, and participate. I am energetic and can be obnoxious, and I make no apologies about it. If yelling at an opposing player takes them out of their game, I'm down for doing it. I would not say anything I would not want children to hear.

And I note something from the NBA fan code of conduct...

Guests will enjoy the basketball experience free from disruptive behavior, including foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.

So at what point are you disruptive at a sporting event? I guess if the people around you cannot enjoy themselves, but you could be bothersome to someone near you for yelling "DE-FENSE" everytime the home team played defense chant music. In addition, what does Deshawn Stevenson do if he's got 15,000 fans chanting "Soulja Boy" every time he touches the basketball? Does he get angry with each of them? Will Damon Securamire have the Wizards play before an empty hostile arena?

I feel like Kramer.

Guest Post: Team of Destiny

Today, we have another guest post from loyal reader L3E.

Why You Should Cut The Baby Bears Some Slack in the Wild, Wild West

I confess that I am a terminal optimist. But the more I look at the current state of the Western Conference, the less critical I am of the Grizzlies.

I admit, I drank the Kool-Aid. I ignored the fact that, no matter how smart or highly touted he is, Marc Iavaroni is a rookie head coach. I believed our youthful exuberance would overcome our youthful inexperience. And somehow, I thought all this new talent would magically gel under a new coach installing a new system under a new GM. What was the buzz phrase? Ah yes . . . "New Game." So I like Grape Kool-Aid, with lemon slices. There, I said it.


All that said, I don't feel so bad at all about our Baby Bears after watching how the Western Conference playoffs are shaping up. Let's go down the list:

• Denver (with former MVP Allen Iverson, All-Star Carmelo Anthony and incumbent Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby) might win 50 games AND STILL NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS.
• If the playoffs started today the defending NBA Champion Spurs would be the FIFTH SEED.
• Dallas, with Josh Howard, Jason Kidd and Reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki were not locks for the playoffs even BEFORE NOWITZKI GOT HURT.
• Phoenix is a sixth seed today and would open the playoffs on the road. This is a team with 2-time MVP STEVE NASH, AMARE STOUDEMIRE and SHAQ.
• In the East, Boston, Detroit and Orlando are all locks for the playoffs. In the West, NOBODY HAS LOCKED UP A PLAYOFF BERTH. For perspective: the Hornets and Lakers are tied for the best record in the West with 12-13 games to go . . . and even though it's unlikely, it's still mathematically possible that BOTH COULD STILL MISS THE PLAYOFFS.
• In fact, it's likely NOBODY will lock down a playoff spot for another six games or so.

You get the idea. The West is just SO impossibly tough this year. The metaphor is perfect: The Baby Bears are quite simply fighting for table scraps with their bigger and stronger older brothers (who are also fighting each other). And while I don't like it, when you back off it and look at the big picture, should we have expected otherwise?

Or how about trying this exercise: Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child is a beautiful young woman. Look at a solo picture of her.


Now look at a picture of her standing next to Beyonce.


Notice how Kelly basically disappears because the competition is so . . . ahem . . . stiff? Aside from the fact that I like looking at Beyonce (and I actually DO miss the "Upgrade" commercials for this reason alone), the point is that the Western Conference is packed with Beyonces, and the Grizz have the misfortune of being Michelle Williams (the other member Destiny's Child who evaporates next to Beyonce and Kelly. Just look at the picture.)


The upside is this: The Baby Bears won't stay so young, weak and inexperienced. In fact, much like the 13-year-old kid playing pickup ball with the high-school seniors, this season is a trial by fire that promises to only toughen up our guys for the coming years.

Meanwhile it's going to be a wild and crazy offseason, because a couple of this year's playoff contenders are likely to be blown up for not meeting expectations (I'm thinking Dallas, Phoenix and Denver). For every team that falls off, another one must rise, so I'm hoping we'll draft well, trade well, and sign some good free agents.

But in the meantime, I'm just looking at those gleaming eyes on our beloved Baby Bears and anticipating the payback they'll dole out for all those noogies their big brothers gave them.

Our time is coming . . .

L3E

Guest Post: Blue Bear Rising

This is our second guest post from reader L3E. If he keeps this up, I might hang up my keyboard.

Blue Bear Rising (or Why the Grizz will be back sooner than you think)

"Off with his head!"

That was the general response in Memphis to Chris Wallace's decision to trade Pau Gasol in February. Even though he finally gave lots of fans what they said they wanted, they were upset that he got back so little in Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and some draft picks. Doesn't help any that sports media continue to blast Wallace, thus making him Memphis' very own Notorious B.I.G.

Meanwhile, fans insist that the only sound they can hear coming out of FedEx Forum these days is the flushing sound of the team going down the toilet, right along with already tepid fan interest in the team.

Then again, there was a time when Galileo was considered a nutjob for saying that the Earth revolved around the Sun, instead of the other way around. Caused quite a controversy, because the way Galileo saw things were quite different than the established norm. . . . not unlike our boys Chris, Iavaroni and perhaps to a lesser degree, Heisley.

I'm not saying that Chris Wallace is Galileo. But it is worth mentioning that Galileo ended up being right after all. And maybe, while the rest of us are looking at the recent roster moves like checkers, Wallace is playing chess--putting his pieces in the proper position to execute his strategy.

I'm a decent chess player (either that, or I just play people who aren't as good as I am). Either way, I'm looking at the Grizzlies chess board, noticing the pieces and the positioning, and I'm thinking the Grizzlies will be back with a vengeance within two years. Here's the breakdown:

1. Who Stays, Who Goes?
Wallace will not blow up the team this summer. One, there's just too much good, young talent. Two, it would undermine Iavaroni's system by shipping out the few players that are familiar with it. That's not to say we'll keep everyone, but there are a few untouchables, I think.

Keepers: Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, Darko Milicic, Chris Wallace, Marc Iavaroni. Rudy is the closest thing Memphis has had to a young superstar ever. Aside from him being good for like winning, he's going to be more marketable. Conley continues to draw favorable comparisons to Tony Parker. That can't be bad. And despite his current label as a bust, Darko continues to improve. I think they ride out his contract. As for Wallace and Iavaroni, I think Heisley recognizes that the successful franchises keep their GM and Coach in place for many years. I don't see Heisley pulling the plug on them, unless they completely blow it this summer.

Trade Bait: Mike Miller, Kyle Lowry, Javaris Crittenton, Brian Cardinal, Hakim Warrick, Jason Collins. I like Mike. And he's our most tradeable asset. Lots of teams want him. Kyle, Javaris and Hak are all young players, who likely will be sought-after by teams needing to add youth. Not saying they're outta here, but they'll be dangled. Cardinal's contract is likely to get packaged with someone else's. Jason Collins' $6.2 million expires after next season, which will make his contract valuable in trades.

Free Agent Question Marks: Juan Carlos Navarro, Kwame Brown. I doubt Kwame's coming back, but thanks for the contract! Juan Carlos . . . tough read. Somebody's going to offer him a nice check. Unless it's outrageous, expect us to match it. I wouldn't be surprised to see Wallace let other teams set the salary, then match. This could lead to drawn-out negotiations for JCN, but that's just NBA business.

Outta Here: Aaron McKie, Casey Jacobsen, Andre Brown. McKie goes back to being an assistant coach somewhere, maybe here. Andre Brown plays in Europe. Casey plays at the YMCA.

2. Assets and Mo Assets.
It's widely accepted that in the offseason, it pays for a GM to have four key elements to work with: cap room, draft picks, young talent and expiring contracts. The Grizzlies are drowning in all four.

Cap Room: Wallace expects to have between $12-$14 Million under the salary cap this year. Contrary to popular belief, this will come in handy not just for signing free agents, but for facilitating trades. As Wallace told Herrington: "Teams are going to come to us to facilitate trades and we’re going to be able to go out and look at the needs of other teams and try to create trades that could help us by using that cap room. It’s a tremendous advantage to have that room; you don’t just have to sign a free agent."

Draft Picks: Grizz will have at least two draft picks this year, hopefully our high pick and the Laker's late pick after they win the championship.(!) That gives us two more assets to wheel and deal with in draft day trades.

Young Talent: See "Trade Bait" above.

Expiring Contracts: Okay, "drowning" is a strong word, but Jason Collins' contract is off the books in '09, and he is a serviceable reserve big man. I don't know if Damon's buyout means we still have that contract to trade. Somebody find out for me. (Ed. note: No, we cannot trade Damon's bought out contract.)

3. Picking up the scraps.
This is the actual fun part, for us Grizzlies fans.

In both conferences, but particularly the Western Conference, high expectations for the playoffs, along with the inevitable dashing of those expectations, means that some teams are going to be looking to revamp their rosters after they get put out of the playoffs. In short, there's just not enough room in the Western Conference Finals for Phoenix, San Antonio, LA Lakers and Dallas. PHX and DAL are not locks for the second round, really, and how will that fly after the Shaq and JKidd trades?

Meanwhile, the Knicks, Pacers, Heat, Bucks, Nets and Bulls are likely all looking at serious roster shakeups, and all those teams have at least one or two interesting pieces that might work for us. If the Hawks don't make the playoffs, look for some roster changes there, too.

And just guess who's waiting with plenty of cap room, picks and young talent? In other words, it's likely to be one wild offseason, and the Grizz are perfectly poised to capitalize on it. It's far too early to speculate on who we might be able to acquire, but those who think that name brand players won't come to Memphis obviously haven't been presented with a 8-figure check. And free agents who decline our offers, there are still other GMs who will want to make moves, and some will need our help.

Even if teams don't completely rebuild, you can expect key pieces on several teams to be on the trading block after this season. I'm thinking players like Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa, Jason Terry, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, David Lee, Udonis Haslem, Michael Redd, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Emeka Okafor. This doesn't include free agents like, Elton Brand, Allen Iverson, Ron Artest, Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Monta Ellis, Baron Davis and others. Clip this paragraph, because you'll probably see at least one of these names on our roster next fall, maybe two. (Yeah, I said it.)

Remaining Questions.
Is Chris Wallace savvy enough to make the right moves? On one hand, he's often blasted for the job he did with the Celtics. On the other hand, most of those questionable moves were actually mandated by Danny Ainge, who himself essentially went from being a zero to possible Executive of the Year after last offseason. And on the other, other hand, many people forget that on Wallace's watch, before Ainge arrived, the Celtics posted 49 wins in 2001-02 before going to the Eastern Conference Finals. They also made the second round the following year. In short, even with the Gasol trade, the results say that Wallace is a better GM than most think he is. Even that misconception may come in handy in the offseason, if he can do like Ray Charles and play "country dumb."


Can Iavaroni get over the rookie wall as a coach? Undoubtedly, a number of our losses this season weren't all lost by the players; Iavaroni is a first time head coach himself and probably made some bad subs, bad plays, etc. But this fall, he'll be a year older and a year wiser, and have his own history with the returning players. That should count for something.

Will Heisley stick with it? I can't see why not. Heisley needs only to look at our division neighbors in San Antonio to see that a small-market team can thrive as the only pro franchise in town. He also hasn't overlooked that Gregg Popovich has been with the Spurs for nearly 15 consecutive years, and R.C. Buford for 11 years. Not to mention, the Grizzlies own history of instability. I have to believe that as long as Wallace and Iavaroni show progress, Heisley will stick with them.

Will the incoming players mesh in Iavaroni's system? Will our current young players improve their individual play and team chemistry? Will they actually play defense? In all cases, we'll have to wait until November to even begin to get an idea.

As they say, it's always darkest before the dawn. But believe it or not, the Grizzlies are perfectly positioned to reload for the next campaign. And with luck, chemistry and the blessing of the health gods, this time next year, April will bring postseason hopes instead of offseason blues.

L3E

Guest Post: Deconstructing Darko

As is well documented here on 3SOB, Darko Milicic is an enigma wrapped in a question mark. What do you make of this guy? I mean, yeah he's young. Yeah, his confidence was dissolved in acid by Larry Brown. But he's been in the league for four seasons now, going on five. We should be seeing something, right?

Well, I'm starting to think that the trick for Darko is this: Both Darko and his coaches must begin to think outside of the the box with him--literally.

I suppose the seed for this line of thinking began shortly after we signed him, and I was looking at his highlight reel on YouTube.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6Y7WtlRjVM.

I know highlight reels are deceptive, but here are things I noticed:

1. He can shoot
2. He can run
3. He sees the court pretty well, and can make some nifty touch passes, even on the run
4. He can take guys off the dribble

What prompted this particular submission was watching Darko drive the lane during the third quarter of the PHX game. Yes, he was up against an aging Shaq, but still, his athleticism, length and quickness enabled him to get to the rim with jaw dropping speed. By the time I realized it was happening, he'd already dunked the ball. He made a similar move earlier in the season in Seattle, crossing over the opposing center and driving baseline. I began wondering how many centers could keep up with him if they had to actually move their feet to defend him.
Got me thinking: Maybe the problem with Darko's offense is that we're playing him as a back to the basket center, when that's exactly what he's NOT. No wonder he keeps going to that lefty hook. What if his TRUE game should be modeled on Nowitzki instead of, say, Shaq or Yao? In theory, it would create matchup nightmares--you could quietly run an ISO for Darko against the opposing center. He drives and gets to the basket, or pulls the defense in and passes to a slashing Rudy or a Bombing Juan Carlos. If he ends up with a smaller defender on him, then there's a mismatch somewhere else on court, and he's a good enough passer to exploit it.

Instead, it seems we've got him mostly playing in the low post, not really his game. No wonder his confidence is flagging. I've got a remedy for that, too.

Darko: Go Rodman. Seriously.

Grow your hair out. Color it blonde at least, maybe streaks of blue. Grow a beard and shave it like Sam Jackson wore his in Shaft. Get a couple of tatts. In other words, get out of the box. People have been trying to put you in a box since you came into the league. You should be this. You should be that. All of it has caused you to question who you are, and sapped your belief in yourself. So quit trying to fit in. Quit trying to be what others think you should be. Do something wild and out of the box. Become a character. Embrace your mean streak a little. Don't be an asshole but raise a little hell in the locker room. And by all means . . . HAVE FUN, both on the court and off it. You're just 22. Don't know what kind of horrible things you saw while in your homeland, but you look WAAAY too serious most of the time.

Rodman was a good player with the Detroit Bad Boys. But his game leaped when he embraced his inner strangeness.

Now it's your turn, Darko.

L3E